MTV Addresses Ferguson, Missouri In VMA PSA

2 years ago

As part of its "Look Different" campaign, the network will air public service announcements during Sunday's Video Music Awards. A preview of one of the announcements features the "Hands Up. Don't Shoot" rallying cry from the protests in Ferguson.

The ad also features a quote from author James Baldwin that reads "Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced." MTV president Stephen Friedman tells the "Hollywood Reporter" that the quote from Baldwin is a "call to action" for people to confront their own bias. That message is reiterated in a second PSA that addresses racial bias by showing seven young people discussing stereotypes.